San Francisco pitcher Landen Roupp had the starting duties against the Cincinnati Reds at Scottsdale Stadium on Fri Mar 13, 2026 in Cactus League action (San Francisco Giants image)

By Stephen Ruderman

SCOTTSDALE AZ–Landen Roupp was able to settle down after a tough first inning for a solid start, but the Giants still came up short in a 6-1 loss to the Reds at Scottsdale Stadium.

Landen Roupp is competing for a spot in the Giants’ rotation, and he took the ball against the Reds for a late-afternoon affair on a warm afternoon here in Scottsdale. The Reds got to Roupp for a pair of runs on a base-hit by JJ Bleday in the top of the first inning.

Fortunately, Roupp was able to settle down and throw a pair of scoreless innings in the second and third. Roupp gave up four hits. He walked three, and struck out four.

Erik Miller struck out the side in a scoreless top of the fourth. Blade Tidwell, who is competing for a spot on the roster, gave up a run in the top of the fifth. Tidwell, like Miller, struck out the side. Nick Margevicius pitched the final four innings, giving up three runs, two of them earned.

On the offensive side, Jerar Encarnacion went 2-for-4, and knocked in the Giants’ lone run with a double in the bottom of the seventh. Matt Chapman went 1-for-2 with a double, as did his replacement at third, Parks Harber. Will Brennan continued his sneaky-good spring with a 1-for-3 night, and he scored the Giants’ lone run.

Drew Gilbert went 0-for-4 tonight, and he is 1-for-7 since his return from his left shoulder injury. While Gilbert struck out in his first two at-bats today, he made solid contact in a fly out to fairly-deep right-center in the bottom of the seventh, and he fouled off a pair of two-strike pitches before grounding out in the bottom of the ninth.

What people have to remember too about Gilbert is that he is not even playing the field yet. A 1-for-7 since his return is hardly something for him or anybody else to be concerned about.

Birdsong hopes to only miss a few weeks:

Hayden Birdsong has been sidelined with what originally was reported to be soreness in his right elbow. However, Birdsong’s agent, Scott Boras, says it is not his elbow, and Birdsong plans to get a second option. Birdsong also said that he hopes to miss only a few weeks.

Two more players cut:

The Giants cut two more players today, both of them pitchers. Left-hander Juan Sanchez, who escaped walking the bases load in his appearance against the Chicago White Sox last night, has been cut. Right-hander Wilkin Ramos has also been cut.